Carrying the torch for some special athletes

There were minor traffic jams all over the South Bay on June 19, but it was no reason for concern: There were plenty of police officers on hand to handle the situation.

The traffic tie-ups were caused by groups of runners and bicyclists who were carrying the Northern California Special Olympics torch from city to city. Most of the runners were police officers and sheriff's deputies participating in the Law Enforcement Torch Run. The torch is called the "Flame of Hope."

Members of the Santa Clara County Fire Department escorted the runners and bicyclists, making for quite a spectacle with their horns and sirens sounding.

Locally, the torch run started at Cupertino City Hall, with Santa Clara County sheriff's deputies running 6.6 miles from De Anza Boulevard to Highway 9 in Saratoga, ending up at the Hacienda Inn in Los Gatos. There, the torch was handed off to members of the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department, led by LGMS Police Chief Scott Seaman.

"This is law enforcement's primary national charity," Seaman said. "Law officers in California see the Special Olympics and its remarkable athletes as inspirational, so we're honored to give some of our time to make this show of support."

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Seaman and two other LGMS officers rode bikes, while 10 officers chose to run the course from Highway 9 to Los Gatos Town Hall. Then they headed over to Winchester Boulevard and, at Dell Avenue, handed the torch over to members of the Campbell Police Department. Campbell Police Chief Greg Finch led that city's eight runners and four bicyclists.

The Special Olympics are held dear by Campbell Police Sgt. Tom Rogers, who has a special needs daughter.

"One day she'll probably be in Special Olympics, so I want to help any way I can," Rogers said. "Special Olympics is good because all the money that's donated goes to the games; nothing is taken out for overhead."

Rogers has raised about $4,000 for Special Olympics so far this year. "My fundraising drive goes through the end of the year," he said. "I try mainly to get online donations. I also contact local businesses, and send out emails and Twitters."

Campbell agent Ana Spear says attending the Special Olympics is an "amazing" experience. "They have a huge opening ceremony," she said. "The athletes enter with two lines of police officers on either side of them. It's a memorable experience."

The Campbell contingent headed to city hall, and then went down Hamilton Avenue to Leigh Avenue, where they gave the torch over to members of the district attorneys' investigative unit. That group took the torch into Willow Glen, where they handed it off to members of the San Jose Police Department.

The run ended in downtown San Jose with a ceremony at the Center for Performing Arts.

Torch runs were also held the same day in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale.

The Northern California Special Olympics are June 27-29 at UC-Davis. Well over 16,000 athletes are expected to compete in 11 sports, including aquatics, basketball, bocce, hockey, golf and soccer.